Best restaurants in Naples: 10 delicious spots to bookmark

What to order: Mutton wrapped in cabbage leaf
Address: Galleria Principe di Napoli, 13, 80135 Napoli NA, Italy
Website: sustanzanapoli.com

Mimì alla ferroviaLuciano Furia

Mimì alla Ferrovia

Not far from Napoli Centrale train station, this local favourite celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2023. Inside, the décor hasn’t changed much since the mid-1940s and has a retro charm that is as inviting as the food. Salvatore Giugliano, grandson of the original chef, now helms the kitchen so familiar Neapolitan standards now share the menu with a selection of more contemporary dishes and the odd global influence. Think seared octopus with kimchi or deep-fried calamari with wasabi mayo. It’s the classics that really stand out, however, especially those showcasing the hopping-fresh daily catch of fish and seafood, which is displayed on ice in a chilled cabinet; melanzane alla parmigiana, spaghetti with sweet, meaty clams (vongole) and garlic, sea bass-stuffed ravioli with candied lemon and pan-fried breaded catch of the day.

Dish to order: spaghetti alle vongole (with clams)
Address: Via Alfonso D’Aragona, 19/21, 80139 Napoli NA, Italy
Website: mimiallaferrovia.it

Tripperia O’Russ

As you might guess from the name of this small, modest, family-run place near the looming bulk of the Albergo dei Poveri, the dishes served at Tripperia O’Russ are not going to be to everybody’s taste. Showcasing offal, which has its roots in the 18th century when many Neapolitans were forced to make use of cheap cuts of meat, the menu here will scare off some visitors with dishes such as ’o per’ e ’o muss’ (meaning ‘the foot and the muzzle’ in local dialect), a delicious, surprisingly light dish of boiled, sliced caf’s snout and pig’s trotters, generously seasoned and served with lemon. Other highlights that will appeal to the gastronomically adventurous include the likes of spaghetti with tripe and potatoes, or trippa alla buonocore – a tripe salad with celery, carrots, olives, tomatoes and lupini beans. There is also a selection of ‘safer’ choices such as spaghetti alla Genovese and veal escallop with lemon.

Dish to order: spaghetti with tripe and potatoes
Address: Via S. Eframo Vecchio, 68, 80137 Napoli NA, Italy
Website: facebook.com/Trippa1945

Gran Caffè Gambrinus

The most elegant café in Naples is worth visiting for the décor alone; its atmospheric rooms are dripping with marble, decadent stuccos, bas-reliefs, tapestries and period paintings by distinguished local artists. The Gambrinus first opened in 1860, and became a popular haunt for intellectuals and artists such as Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre. These days, it is invaded by droves of tourists who tend to crowd the stand-up bar or the pavement terrace, but the retro atmosphere remains intact, especially in the rooms at the back. Come for a relaxed breakfast and order a strong espresso along with one of the textbook Neapolitan pastries, such as a melting, warm sfogliatella filled with sweet ricotta cheese.

Dish to order: un espresso e una sfogliatella riccia.
Address: Via Chiaia, 1, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy
Website: grancaffegambrinus.com